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Uncharted 2 Enemies A Little Smarter, A Little More Agile
Uncharted 2 is a sequel, so things are being tweaked, things are being added, things are being improved. One area Naughty Dog are working on is enemy AI, particularly how it reacts to Nathan’s presence. They’ll now boast peripheral vision, meaning if they catch you out of the corner of their eye, they won’t instantly…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 15, 2009 - Uncategorized
Harajuku Is The Place For Hangame
Looking for a cool place in Tokyo to try out online games? Try “flatflat” in Harajuku. The narrow space (3.5 meters by 45 meters long) was designed by Japanese firm Sako Architects and allows folks to check out online game portal Hangame — and do it in style. The concept for the space is a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 15, 2009 - Uncategorized
Street Fighter IV Wants To Teach You Fighting
Not everyone who is planning on buying Street Fighter IV has experience with the fighter. Capcom hopes to get all players on the same page. While tutorials are not new, the SFIV tutorial is all-encompassing. As Capcom’s Street Fighter expert Seth Killian explains, “It begins with normal moves, then it goes on to specials, supers,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 15, 2009 - Uncategorized
Sony: PS3 Still For “Early Adopters”
The PlayStation 3 was released in North America in November 2006. That’s over two years ago. So we’re well out of the “early adopter” phase, right? Not according to Sony we’re not! In an interview with Gamasutra, Sony’s John Koller has said: The PSP, from a handheld perspective, it’s more of a 13-17 year old…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 15, 2009 - Uncategorized
Monster Hunter G Dated, Getting Own Classic Controller
Wii title Monster Hunter G has been dated for Japan. It will be out April 23 for ¥3,990. That’s not all. Oh no. Included is a demo for Monster Hunter 3 tri and one promotional Monster Hunter card game card. There’s also a limited edition start pack which includes the same goods plus a Monster…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 15, 2009 - Uncategorized
Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins Coming To PSN
Sony promised (cross their hearts!) that in 2009, they’d deliver more PSP and PS1 games to the PSN. This week, they begin delivering on that promise with a PSP game. That game is Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins, which will be made available for download tomorrow for $20. Great game, convenient method of purchasing, people will…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 15, 2009 - Uncategorized
This Japanese Adult Video Game Actress Knows Her Western Games
Adult video actress often say they play video games, but few really play video games. Japanese AV lady Noa, star of MAX ORGASM, does. She’s hardcore, yo. The self-proclaimed hikikomori otaku blogs about playing games — games like Fable II. She name drops Peter Molyneux, reminisces about Fable I and talks about things how “the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 15, 2009 - Uncategorized
Spike Awards TV Ratings Tank, Down 26%
Ah, the Spike Awards. What better way to celebrate the year’s achievements in an ever-maturing and important creative industry than with an evening of advertisements and ill-advised celebrity cameos? Oh, what’s that? You don’t agree? You’re not alone. Nielsen ratings for the night show that 680,000 people tuned in last month. That’s a 26% drop…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Microsoft Considering Sizable Layoffs
According to The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is considering “significant” layoffs across various corporate divisions. Insiders close to the company did not disclose whether Microsoft’s Xbox division will be affected. Nothing has been set in stone reports The Wall Street Journal, and Microsoft could find alternatives to keep costs down. If Microsoft goes through with…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Left 4 Dead Patch Now Live
Valve said they were going to release a Left 4 Dead patch this week. Valve aren’t in the habit of lying to us. The update just went live, and brings a number of improvements. A ton of glitches and bugs have been fixed, along with a number of balance tweaks and gameplay changes (though sadly…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Final Fantasy Legend II Getting DS Remake
Next up on Square Enix’s remake platter? SaGa 2: Hihou Densetsu aka Final Fantasy Legend II. Like the recent Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest DS remakes, the game is getting the full 3D treatment. According to Shonen Jump, the game will be out sometime this year in Japan. No word about a Western release. 【サガ】『Sa・Ga2…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg Talks CES, Xbox 360 In ’09 And Beyond
We caught up with Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg, Director of Product Management for Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE, to chat about the console’s presence at CES, the year ahead and the number 17 million. While Greenberg was appropriately coy about the Xbox 360’s upcoming line-up beyond what has been announced — yes, there are more games…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Sony Surveying Gamers On Next PSP Features?
Sony may be testing the waters of public opinion on the direction of the next PlayStation Portable, surveying gamers on a host of new hardware and software features for a possible PSP2. Kotaku reader Charlie forwarded us details on the survey, which asks a the participant to rank a suite of currently unavailable features from…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
In-Game Web Browsing Added To Steam
Steam’s handy, no doubt about it. But it just got made handier, with Valve today rolling out in-game web browsing to users of the service. Just hit shift+tab, and you’ll see a “web” button. The browsing (first appearing as a beta last month) was added as part of a larger Steam client update, which also…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Ex-Force Unleashed Producer To Tackle MMOG
Ex-LucasArts producers Isa Anne Stamos signed up with Berkeley, CA game developer MindFuse Games today to work on their “advanced-casual MMOG” Gatheryn. I don’t know much about Gatheryn or what an advanced-casual massively multiplayer online game is supposed to be. But I gather (get it?) from the screenshots that it’s set in a steampunk fantasy…
By AJ Glasser Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Judge Upholds $28 Million Award To Retired NFL Players Over Madden Suit
U.S. District Judge William Alsup upheld a decision to award retired NFL players $28.1 million in the group’s lawsuit against the league’s player union over allegations they were cheated by an unfavorable deal with EA. A federal jury ruled in November that the former NFL players were due $7.1 million for the use of their…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Bioh4zard 2 Recreates Resident Evil 2 In Left 4 Dead
We can become pretty calloused toward user created mods, but when someone goes to the effort of recreating Resident Evil 2‘s entire scenario in Valve’s Left 4 Dead, our cold hearts melt. Such is the case with Bioh4zard 2, a work-in-progress user created campaign that recreates the locations — but not necessarily the exact events…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Video Games Are Not Recession-Proof, Says NPD
GameDaily reports that Michael Klotz, senior account manager at the NPD Group, says the video games industry is already feeling the effects of the recession. Gee, I could have told you that, looking at the list of recent industry layoffs. But Klotz pointed out in a Game Business Law summit at Southern Methodist University’s law…
By AJ Glasser Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Here’s What PlayStation 3’s Dress Looks Like
Sony introduced Dress to Japanese PlayStation 3 owners today, the fashion application that allows users to design new clothing and dress up their avatars — for a price, of course. How does it look? Well, the clothing looks good, considering Sony has partnered with real-life brands like Puma and Beams to give Dress users ready-to-wear…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
How IS the baby?
To: Ash From: Crecente Re: So… How Is The Baby? I’ve checked on the baby a few times with you, but I keep forgetting to ask. How are you and MRS Bash holding up? I’ve heard having a second child is like 10 times the work instead of twice the work. Is that really true?…
By Brian Crecente Published January 14, 2009